Minister of Correctional Services Ngconde Balfour will sue free-to-air channel e.tv for trespassing and invasion of privacy following a report on the burglary of his house, a spokesperson said on Wednesday. ”This follows entry of e.tv crew into Minister Balfour’s house … without his knowledge and permission,” said ministerial spokesperson Luphumzo Kebeni.
The South African Council of Churches (SACC) came under fire on Wednesday for announcing a public stance on same-sex marriages amid widespread division over the matter. The SACC should have ”remained silent” and let individual churches state their positions,” said Apostolic Faith Mission spokesperson Isak Burger.
Traditional circumcision rites have killed 83 initiates in the Eastern Cape alone between 1996 and 2005, public hearings into initiation schools were told on Wednesday. There had been 19 more deaths in the province this year. Another 63 initiates had to undergo amputations, while 562 were hospitalised, Eastern Cape department of health officials said on the second day of the hearings.
South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs will meet with Indian police for questioning over his involvement in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing scandal. Since 2000 Gibbs has declined to tour India over fears of being detained by police. South Africa coach Mickey Arthur said on Wednesday Gibbs would hold a brief meeting with police on arrival in Delhi.
Seven of the 18 people arrested after the Jeppestown shootout were refused bail by the Roodepoort Regional Court on Wednesday. The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that the accused said the state did not have sufficient information for a successful prosecution.
Researchers have received a R1,5-million grant to explore methods of nutritionally enhancing maize and sorghum without inserting foreign genes into the plant, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) said on Wednesday. The two-year grant will allow biotechnologists to conduct research on the modification of maize and sorghum by exposing the plant material to radiation.
The Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) on Wednesday welcomed a proposed meeting between the government and labour unions to discuss unemployment, poverty reduction and globalisation. ”We view the government’s commitment to engage with labour … in a very positive light,” said Fedusa’s general secretary, Dennis George, in a statement.
Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Tony Leon launched an ”Agriculture Matters” campaign during a visit to the eastern Free State’s rural farming communities on Wednesday, the party said. ”As a positive contribution to addressing the deep concerns of our farming communities, the DA is today proud to launch its ‘Agriculture Matters’ campaign,” Leon said near Ficksburg.
On Wednesday promoter Branco Milenkovic wrote a letter to the IBF in which he informed the New Jersey-based world boxing body that he was withdrawing his charge Vusi Malinga from his bout against Russian fighter Dimitry Kirilov. Malinga and Kirilov were scheduled to collide for the IBF junior bantamweight title eliminator in Los Angeles in America on November 2.
”Train surfing” by youngsters is an abhorrent and totally disturbing activity, Minister of Transport Jeff Radebe said on Wednesday. He was referring to the dangerous game of climbing on the roofs of moving railway carriages, or climbing in and out of trains while in motion. Radebe was addressing reporters at the launch of the railway safety regulatory inspection body in Johannesburg.
The Asset Forfeiture Unit confiscated assets to the value of R21-million from three business people facing charges of fraud, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said in a statement on Wednesday. Cash, investments, property, furniture and vehicles were seized from South African Airways employee Michael McKnight and his wife Gillian, a director at KPMG, said NPA spokesperson Lucinda Moonieya.
Doing more online could be the key to making it easier to do business in South Africa, thereby creating jobs and building economic growth. This is according to Caralee McLiesh, an author of the World Bank’s Doing Business 2007 report. She said that doing so much online was the strength of Singapore, which the report rated as this year’s easiest country in which to do business.
The government needs a plan to deal with the increasing number of cash-in-transit heists and other armed robberies, especially over the festive season, the Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday. ”Government must take urgent steps to ensure a safe festive season,” DA spokesperson Dianne Kohler-Barnard said in a statement.
The licence to operate the national lottery has been awarded to Gidani, Minister of Trade and Industry Mandisi Mpahlwa announced on Wednesday. Mpahlwa told journalists in Pretoria — at a briefing beamed to Parliament in Cape Town — that it had a significant black economic empowerment component and government was a 20% shareholder.
Johannesburg residents had every reason to hope for a prosperous future, said the Democratic Alliance (DA) as it wished the City of Johannesburg a happy 120th birthday on Wednesday. ”What it will take is sound planning, a strong will to succeed and a belief that we have the talent to make things work,” said Johannesburg councillor Mike Moriarty in a statement.
Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini made history on Tuesday when he became the first player to be named one of the five Mutual & Federal South Africa Cricket Annual’s Cricketers of the Year for a record fifth time. The other players honoured at the awards dinner were fast bowler Dale Steyn, batsmen Hashim Amla and Ashwell Prince, and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher.
South Africa go to the Champions Trophy in India as the world’s second-ranked one-day international team, determined to play the ”brave cricket” pledged by coach Mickey Arthur. The mantra was given expression when South Africa made a then-world record 438 for nine to chase down a seemingly insurmountable Australian total.
South Africa faced a beast with two heads — greed and drunkenness for power, business magnate Saki Macozoma said on Tuesday. Macozoma, who is also a member of the African National Congress’s National Executive Committee , was speaking at a Cape Town seminar organised by the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation.
South African Reserve Bank governor Tito Mboweni’s positive stance on cheap Chinese and Indian goods and services remained unchanged on Tuesday in the face of government and trade union criticism. Mboweni was labelled ”irresponsible” by Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi earlier in the day.
Mobile operators are scrambling to gain a foothold in Africa, where cellphone penetration hovers at just 15% and growth is ripe for those with a stomach for risk. A decade after mobile technology took off on the continent, most affluent city dwellers have phones, making poor rural areas like Kgautswane the new battleground for operators seeking growth.
A 603-carat white diamond has been found in the tiny Southern African kingdom of Lesotho, making it the biggest rock of the century and one of the world’s largest, it was announced on Wednesday. ”The diamond, named the Lesotho Promise, is the largest reported find this century,” said the mine’s joint owners, South Africa’s Gem Diamond Mining and the Lesotho government.
Former Western Cape Premier Peter Marais was on Wednesday found not guilty in the Belville Regional Court on two counts of corruption. His co-accused, former Provincial Environment MEC David Malatsi was however convicted one count of corruption.
Cabinet ministers should conduct themselves as representatives of the people deployed to government office, and not as part of a ruling elite, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) said on Tuesday. Cosatu applauded African National Congress secretary general Kgalema Motlanthe’s ”warning to politicians against alienating the people”, the federation said in a statement.
Reserve Bank Governor Tito Mboweni was criticised by both government and trade unions on Tuesday for his recent condemnation of government’s decision to restrict clothing and textile imports from China. President Thabo Mbeki and several government ministers met trade union leaders in Pretoria, where the quotas on clothing and textile imports from China were discussed.
Filling stations will have enough fuel on Wednesday to meet demand when the petrol price drops by 50c a litre, the South African Petroleum Industry Association (Sapia) said. ”There is no need to panic,” Sapia director Colin McClelland said on Tuesday. ”Sapia assured the Minister of Minerals and Energy [Buyelwa Sonjica] that there will be enough petrol tomorrow [Wednesday].
Repairs to the N7 bridge between the N1 and Frans Conradie Drive in Cape Town will take several months and the bridge will remain closed for at least the next 24 hours, a city official said on Tuesday. Structural supports are being put in place to allow for traffic on the bridge’s eastern span, acting media manager Charles Cooper said in a statement.
The Limpopo legislature is to host a public hearing on ritual murders in the province, an official said on Tuesday. ”The ritual murders in the province have attracted the attention of the province’s lawmakers,” Limpopo legislature spokesperson Kenny Mathivha said. The hearing would be held at the Tshixwadza soccer ground in Mutale, Vhembe, on Saturday morning.
The Zimbabwean government has admitted to suffering a food shortage, ZimOnline reported on Tuesday. It quoted Agriculture Minister Joseph Made as saying the country did not harvest enough food last season, and that an army led programme to produce food had failed.
South Africa’s recent upbeat assessment of job growth is not a true reflection of trends in the country’s workforce, say critics who contend that gaps in official employment data undercut the government’s rosy claims. Statistics South Africa reported last week that there were 544Â 000 new jobs in the year to March and noted a ”slightly upward trend” in employment.
President Thabo Mbeki — on behalf of South Africa — has congratulated his Zambian counterpart Levy Mwanawasa on his re-election. ”The government and people of South Africa join the international community in welcoming the outcome of the recently held presidential, parliamentary and local elections in Zambia,” the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday.
The foreign ministers of South Africa and the Dominican Republic on Tuesday signed a declaration of intent in Pretoria to improve trade relations between the two countries. Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso of the Dominican Republic said his country had decided to establish a diplomatic mission in Pretoria.
There is an urgent need for civil society in South Africa to join the fight against HIV/Aids, the South African Council of Churches said on Tuesday. ”This pandemic is destroying lives. We want to save lives, but we can’t do it on our own,” the Reverend Desmond Lesejane said. ”The struggle for treatment is not just an issue for the Treatment Action Campaign. It affects everyone.”